I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam

Adam wrote:
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

At least one of the reasons is, marine versions are "dual voltage."
Household refrigerators can only use 115vAC power, requiring a
connection to shore power, generator or external inverters in the boat's
electrical system. Marine/rv versions have the necessary circuitry,
inverters etc built in to use either 115v or 12v/DC power. Whether
that's enough to account for all of the price difference may be
debatable. Whether the ability to run a refrigerator off your boat's
house battery while away from the dock is worth that much extra money is
up to you.

Apparently dual voltage circuitry accounts for at least 90% of the
additional cost...'cuz there's only about $200 difference between the
price the smallest dual voltage models and the biggest double door full
size models.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327

If you can live with 110VAC all the time, buy the $100 version. My boat
requires full time 110/220 so I have a Sears large fridge, a 110V Uline
Ice maker and a 110V deep freeze. replacements are cheaper than repairs
on the other ones.

Adam wrote:
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 21:04:38 -0400, "Windjammer"
wrote:


"Adam" wrote in message ...
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is
about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam,

I too wondered why I could not buy a small bar type fridge and install it on
the boat. It may rust a bit quicker, but if some care was taken to coat
exposed surfaces, life could hopefully be extended.

The problem may be in the power needed. I looked in the back of a cheap
unit the other day - there does not appear to be a motor, so it would have
to be powered directly with 110v. This would mean adding an invertor for use
on 12v. The average power needed is quite low, but the peak may be quite
high. A good inverter may cost $300, so not much of an idea unless you
already have the inverter.

I suspect that the difference in cost may be in the quality of the units - I
am sure that a good bar fridge like a Danby costs a lot more than $100.

Buy $100 bar frig. Buy a BD35F (or 50, 80, 150) 12VDC Danfoss
compressor. Have new compressor swapped into bar frig.

--
BRENT - The Usenet typo king.

Buy $100 bar frig. Buy a BD35F (or 50, 80, 150) 12VDC Danfoss
compressor. Have new compressor swapped into bar frig.


of course. just the same as swapping in a Lexus engine into a Yugo.

Sure thing.

dood, knock it off and get back to study hall. lunch isn't for another 45
minutes.

"Adam" wrote in message ...
What makes different almost $700?


The primary difference is that the Norcold refrigerator is made to operate
efficienty off of 12 volts. It was made for being used on a boat or RV
where battery power must be conserved and thus the refrigerator is as
efficient as possible.

The cheap household refrigerator won't run off of 12 volts directly. You
can install an inverter and run off that, but you will throw away at least
15% of your energy just converting 12 volts to 110. Household refrigerators
usually do not make much of an effort to be efficient. Indeed, many (in
fact, most) spend more energy creating heat, and I don't mean heat as a
byproduct, I mean they run heaters! A "Frost Free" refrigeator is full of
heaters!

If you want to run a Norcold refrigerator away from shore power I would
recommend allowing for 80 to 100 amp-hours a day. Double that if you want
to run a household inverter off an inverter.

Rod

Buy the proper refrigerator.

Haven't we all learned by now that saving a few dollars buying an
inappropriate thing costs more money and trouble in the long run?

Jim



Adam wrote:
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam

about all your discount catalog houses (walmart etc) cary small coolers that
run off 12VDC,,,they keep your stuff pretty good...but not like a true reefer.

it's just an electric cooler, but it pretty well serves my purpose.

The 12V cooler we had was specified to cool things 40F below
ambient. It would keep things at 50F when it was 90F outside (not
acceptable), and would freeze things when it was below 70F. Such is life
with Peltier

Doug
s/v Callista

"BSCHNAUTZ" wrote in message
...
about all your discount catalog houses (walmart etc) cary small coolers
that
run off 12VDC,,,they keep your stuff pretty good...but not like a true
reefer.

it's just an electric cooler, but it pretty well serves my purpose.

Doug, i totally understand. We used the cooler on a weekend and that was about
it..

no,you're right.... it wouldn't work for a long haul.
Tim


The 12V cooler we had was specified to cool things 40F below
ambient. It would keep things at 50F when it was 90F outside (not
acceptable), and would freeze things when it was below 70F. Such is life
with Peltier

Doug
s/v Callista